Definitions

What is peace? To my friends, it’s a school day without fights. Others call it boring. To some, it is an hour of quiet. To my mother, it is when she is sleeping. To another, thoughtlessness, serenity. To still more, it is just an idea – an ideal perhaps, but unattainable nonetheless.

What is peacefulness? To my karate sensei, it’s passiveness. Others call it cowardice. To some, it is the shy girl who avoids conflict. To my father, it is when my mom and I don’t argue. To another, calm, tranquility. To still more, it is just a trait – a virtue perhaps, but useless in today’s world.

Who is right? Are any of them? Or maybe – it’s all of them, and yet, none of them? Maybe it is a little bit of all of them, plus something altogether different.

Subscribe

Get Teen Ink’s 48-page monthly print edition. Written by teens since 1989.